Commercial aluminum alloys, such as the 6063 aluminum (Al) alloy, have been used for fabricating enclosures for electronic devices. However, the 6063 aluminum alloy has relatively low yield strength, for example, about 214 MPa, which may dent easily when used as an enclosure for electronic devices. It may be desirable to produce aluminum alloys with high yield strength such that the alloys do not dent easily. The electronic devices may include mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, instrument windows, appliance screens, and the like.
Many commercial 7000 series aluminum alloys have been developed for aerospace applications. Generally, 7000 series aluminum alloys have high yield strengths. However, commercial 7000 series aluminum alloys are not cosmetically appealing when used to make enclosures for electronic devices.
There still remains a need to develop aluminum alloys with high strength and improved cosmetics.